Ferndale beef jerky theft leads to felony trial

FERNDALE - A Detroit man accused of stealing beef jerky from a 7-Eleven store more than a year ago faces trial on a felony charge of eluding police in a high-speed chase from the store.

Kenneth Neeley, 58, of Detroit was ordered to stand trial in Oakland County Circuit Court after a preliminary examination Thursday in Ferndale 43rd District Court.

The fleeing and eluding charge against Neeley is punishable by up to five years in prison.

"If he hadn't fled from us the worst he would have been charged with was a misdemeanor retail fraud charge," said Ferndale Police Sgt. Patrick Jones.

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Police said Neeley was spotted by clerks at the 7-Eleven store at West Nine Mile and Pinecrest who suspected he was stealing items from the store and putting them in his car.

One of the clerks told police that Neeley was in and out of the store numerous times and appeared to be putting items beneath his sweatshirt and taking them to his car.

"We later looked at a surveillance video," Jones said. "Every time the clerk turned her back the suspect stole sticks of beef jerky."

Neeley had been in the store on prior occasions and was suspected of stealing items before clerks called police on his final visit to the 7-Eleven on July 9, 2011, police said.

Ferndale police arrived right after Neeley drove away from the store in a silver Ford, Jones said. Store employees gave police a description and a license plate number from the suspect's car.

An officer caught up with Neeley at Eight Mile and Livernois, about a mile away, and tried to stop him, police said.

The suspect led police on a chase at speeds of up to 60 mph into Detroit, police said. At one point he drove on the sidewalk for several hundred feet in a residential street, ran a red light and three stop signs. Ferndale police called off the chase after they said it was too dangerous.

A warrant was issued for Neeley's arrest, but he avoided police for more than a year.

He was recently arrested in Wayne County during a traffic stop and turned over to Ferndale police.

Neeley was released on personal bond following Thursday's hearing in Ferndale. He is expected to be arraigned for trial next week before Oakland County Circuit Judge Denise Langford Morris.